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District safety report warns of online groups targeting students; highlights state/FBI training and new bollards
Summary
Safety officials described summer training with the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI on violent-extremist groups that operate online to recruit or extort youth, reported installation of bollards funded by PCCD, and scheduled a district safety-council meeting for Sept. 23.
District safety officials told the board about recent trainings and emerging online threats to students, saying the district and partners had attended sessions that included the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI focused on violent‑extremist groups and related tactics.
Dr. Hoffman summarized the training and warned that "these groups operate online in a decentralized type network," describing how actors may befriend students on common gaming platforms and then move them into unregulated channels to encourage harmful behavior. The safety report highlighted that the district used PCCD funds to install bollards at building entrances and said additional work remains; safety staff emphasized the need to educate students and parents on online platform risks and to coordinate with communications for consistent messaging.
The report also noted timeline items for the coming year: a district safety council meeting scheduled for Sept. 23, steering-committee meetings to plan professional development and reunification tabletop exercises, and continued monitoring of possible Pennsylvania legislation on student cell-phone policy. Officials said additional training and communication plans will be developed next month and the fall.
